Colombia’s Cotecmar, Thales sign cooperation agreement

Colombian state-owned company Cotecmar and French defense company Thales renewed their partnership with a new agreement which will see the two companies increase cooperation on Colombian naval and defense projects.

Cotecmar (Corporación de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo de la Industria Naval Marítima y Fluvial) and Thales signed the agreement at Expodefensa 2017, the main defence exhibition in Colombia.

This partnership was first signed in 2015 allowing the companies to work together on the upgrades of Colombian Navy frigates.

Under the new deal, Thales and Cotecmar will evaluate new opportunities in the naval sector particularly in relation to combat systems, command and control systems, communications and information systems, sonars and radars.

Reflecting on the Colombian Navy’s Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie: PES frigate project which aims to replace the country’s Almirante Padilla-class vessels, Thales said it has a strong history of transferring technology and is committed to support Cotecmar on the challenges they have, providing state-of-the-art solutions, such as information and combat systems, sonars and radar. The company also noted it is willing to develop a local footprint to support the country’s needs.

“This partnership with Thales is a great opportunity to reinforce the support to the Colombian Navy, promoting the development of new projects. Our mission, as a science and technology corporation, is to transfer knowledge in the offer of value represented and deliver high impact solutions to serve the country and the region,” said Jorge Enrique Carreño Moreno, Cotecmar Vice Admiral.